Back On Top: For Fifth Time In Six Years, Seminole Hard Rock Wins Gaming Industry Employer Of Choice Award

Written By JR Duren on March 31, 2021

Seminole Hard Rock has done it again.

For the fifth time in six years, the gaming group won first place among 34 standalone and corporation casinos in the 20th annual Casino Gaming Executive Satisfaction Survey (CGESS).

“These latest results are proof of the exceptional working environment we have created for team members at our Seminole Hard Rock and Hard Rock-branded casinos, as well as our Hard Rock Online Casino,” Jim Allen, CEO of Seminole Gaming and chairman of Hard Rock International, said in a press release about the recognition.

“The recognition means a great deal, given the many outstanding gaming industry companies included in the survey.”

The survey, conducted by Bristol Associates and Spectrum Gaming Group, polled more than a thousand gaming industry executives, 33% of whom listed Seminole Hard Rock as their first choice among employers of interest.

Seminole Hard Rock dominates competitors

The casino group won a bigger percentage of the vote for top employer than the next three casinos combined:

  • Seminole Hard Rock: 32.99%
  • Penn National, Wynn and Caesars: 31.58%

The survey broke down the results into two categories: execs’ first and second choices for employers of interest.

Seminole Hard Rock was the first choice for 32.99% of executives. Penn National Gaming was the first choice among 20.21%, followed by Wynn Resorts at 7.14%.

Among execs’ second choice, Wynn Resorts finished first, followed by MGM Resorts International and Boyd Gaming.

Seminole Hard Rock’s win puts the group back on top after finishing second to Penn National in 2019. Michael Pollock, managing director of Spectrum Gaming, noted the company boasts several traits in order to garner such consistent praise.

“As we have noted in the survey results, leadership requires an added focus on retaining and motivating talent, and you have to listen to your people and respond to their needs and aspirations. To be a leader over a span of years requires a strong culture that listens, motivates, rewards and responds to your people.”

Hard Rock wins top spot for online gaming, sports betting

The survey also took the pulse of executives’ thoughts about iGaming and mobile sports betting. According to the survey, respondents preferred Hard Rock Online Casino to other brands. Hollywood Casino/MyChoice Casino/Barstool Sports finished second, while DraftKings finished third.

The results for this category were much tighter than the casino category. Hard Rock earned the top choice from 16.54% of respondents, while the Hollywood conglomerate took 12.97% of the vote.

The iGaming win has significance for Florida. This past December, Hard Rock International announced an exclusive deal between Seminole Gaming and Hard Rock Digital, a gaming and sports betting platform.

While sports betting in Florida remains illegal, the Hard Rock Digital partnership seemed to lay the foundation for future mobile sports betting. And based on the CGESS results, the betting experience should be an industry-leading one.

Photo by AP / Wilfredo Lee
JR Duren Avatar
Written by
JR Duren

J.R. Duren has covered the gambling beats for more than a dozen states for Catena Media since 2015. His past reporting experience includes two years at the Villages Daily Sun, and he is a first-place winner at the Florida Press Club Excellence in Journalism Contest.

View all posts by JR Duren